PC questions

rootsrat

Volunteer Moderator
rootsrat
Morbad said:
This is true, but there are still a slew of possible mistakes that can be made, and a novice's ability to diagnose any issues is likely to be low. If one isn't look for a protracted and possibly expensive learning experience, I can see the advantages to a pre-built.
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Trying to sort out the front panel connectors is a bit more advanced than Lego I'd say ;)

Then you have stuff like cable management, preventing gfx card bending, correct placement of water cooling if you have it, modular PSU connectors, dual channel RAM... Physical building is just the first step as well, as after that comes BIOS/UEFI configuration, customisation of RAM timings etc. etc. etc.

It really isn't as easy tbh.

But it's a great learning experience! And once you learn how to properly build and configure a PC from scratch, the satisfaction as you press the power up button for the first time and it doesn't blow up is amazing :D
 

Esteban

E
ninja'd, but perhaps not entirely...

As advised above, building your own isn't hugely difficult. Having done this many times I must say that certain steps are critically sensitive so must be done well. Installation of the CPU and it's heat-removal fixture comes to mind immediately. Cables can be figured out without much room for serious problems if you take your time, imo. I agree that you will learn a great deal in that process.

If you'd like to consider going with a pre-built PC, there are numerous PC builders out there that cater to the gaming crowd offering anything from modest performance* all the way to the nth degree of performance (and cost, obviously). They will use name-brand, well-regarded, quality components. If you search for a gaming PC on amazon, you'll start to see some products from those kinds of builders. It's a start, especially for those who don't 'know the marketplace' that well, or at all. Once you begin to investigate those builders, you'll likely begin to find more of them in that space. It's not terribly useful for me to recommend specific builders because I'm not aware of your location, nor would I necessarily know any in a location that is useful for you.

As far as I remember, HDMI supports only up to 60Hz refresh rate, so don't go buying a high-end GPU expecting to push 100Hz over an HDMI connection. Buy it to support the graphics needs of the software, yes, but not to try that with a television display. You must use a 'DisplayPort' connection to support high refresh rates (and have a display that allows it, of course).

I can corroborate: I use a Razer Woverine X-Box controller on my Windows PC all the time. It works flawlessly (I use it wired).

* this significantly above anything that you'd get as a PC 'for e-mail and internet browsing.' Don't even consider anything like this (from places like Wally-world, etc.) to run EDO and forget about any 'integrated graphics' imo.
 
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Morbad

Morbad
Esteban said:
As far as I remember, HDMI supports only up to 60Hz refresh rate, so don't go buying a high-end GPU expecting to push 100Hz over an HDMI connection. Buy it to support the graphics needs of the software, yes, but not to try that with a television display. You must use a 'DisplayPort' connection to support high refresh rates (and have a display that allows it, of course).
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HDMI 2.1 can do up to 4k 144Hz (8-bit/non-HDR) and potentially 1440p360, without compression, but even HDMI 2.0 can do well in excess of 60Hz below 4k (1440p120, for example).
 
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ethelred

ethelred
I totally agree with the building comments, but it's not a "dark art" any more. Most components have YouTube videos where someone is going through things step by step.

The hardest thing is finding compatible components and ofc every builder is paranoid about thermal paste and seating the heatsink/coolers correctly (that's the part that makes me sweat)

These days, I'm not even sure how much money you do save, but it sure is satisfying when you turn it on and it boots up for the first time!
 

rootsrat

Volunteer Moderator
rootsrat
Ian Skippy said:
If you have a decent internet connection consider GeForce Now. It'll run EDO on basically anything, and is much cheaper than buying a decent GPU.
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Just bear in mind you won't be able to use HOTAS (but ok for a joypad IIRC). And it only does 1080p (full HD) - unless something has changed (?)
 

varonica

varonica
Morbad said:
This is true, but there are still a slew of possible mistakes that can be made, and a novice's ability to diagnose any issues is likely to be low. If one isn't look for a protracted and possibly expensive learning experience, I can see the advantages to a pre-built.
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I've seen rookie mistakes from shops as well, like not putting in the motherboard stands when putting the motherboard in. Many budget shops in Australia hire cheap labour to reduce costs, and that comes with reduced quality.
 

Morbad

Morbad
varonica said:
I've seen rookie mistakes from shops as well, like not putting in the motherboard stands when putting the motherboard in. Many budget shops in Australia hire cheap labour to reduce costs, and that comes with reduced quality.
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Shops and OEMs screw up all the time. The difference is that there is usually some sort of warranty at the labor/system level with a shop. If something is broken from the shop, or breaks due to anything they did or failed to do, that should be covered. Someone assembling their own system only has the warranty on individual parts and if they break something in an obvious way, that becomes an out of pocket cost.
 

colprice2002

C
My last PC was purchased as a custom build.
I costed out the components and found that there wasn't much difference between self build and pre-built.
I think that the builder gets wholesale prices for components, whereas I'd be paying retail.
Before that, I did assemble a pc from components, it's not difficult, but can be fiddly especially if you use micro ATX cases.
You'll also need to factor in the OS cost!

There are a couple of threads in the Odyssey section about performance, this will give you an idea of some systems that work well - or don't!
 

Dragsham

Dragsham
I bought a prebuilt. I'd had a long break from gaming so came back to it not knowing about elite at the time.
But having bought the prebuilt and playing other games back then l never gave the PCs internals a 2nd thought.
Then along came VR elite.

That changed everything.!
The prebuilts mobo, HDs, ram, water jacketing cpu (it was hot!), gpu, more fans (silent quality ones), and relocated to near a window hehe. So I learned or rather was reminded., that getting a pc prebuilt from pc world ain't a good idea if u want high end.
 

Meadows65

M
Thanks everyone for your advice and I have looked into all the options and as ED is the only game I play I have had to come to the conclusion that to venture into the expensive and risky (compared to console) PC gaming World that the cost is simply not viable so sadly it’s goodbye to gaming for me, it’s been an enjoyable and unfortunately ultimately sad experience, I’m 71 and retired and live in the UK so had hoped to enjoy ED (and then EDO) for many more years, so disappointed. Thanks again.
 

varonica

varonica
Meadows65 said:
Thanks everyone for your advice and I have looked into all the options and as ED is the only game I play I have had to come to the conclusion that to venture into the expensive and risky (compared to console) PC gaming World that the cost is simply not viable so sadly it’s goodbye to gaming for me, it’s been an enjoyable and unfortunately ultimately sad experience, I’m 71 and retired and live in the UK so had hoped to enjoy ED (and then EDO) for many more years, so disappointed. Thanks again.
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Farewell then, I am glad you enjoyed your time in ED at least.

That is indeed one of the big attraction of consoles, just plug it in and go and why they have been so successful, maybe we will get a change of heart once all the old consoles are gone but I doubt it, travel well.
 

Bantha

Bantha
Meadows65 said:
Thanks everyone for your advice and I have looked into all the options and as ED is the only game I play I have had to come to the conclusion that to venture into the expensive and risky (compared to console) PC gaming World that the cost is simply not viable so sadly it’s goodbye to gaming for me, it’s been an enjoyable and unfortunately ultimately sad experience, I’m 71 and retired and live in the UK so had hoped to enjoy ED (and then EDO) for many more years, so disappointed. Thanks again.
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Don’t give up quite just yet, we might be able to find something.
Help us by telling us
1. Is your TV 4k of 1080p? (and if it is 4k, are you prepared to play in 1080p?)
2. What’s your budget?
 

Dragsham

Dragsham
Oh there must be a cmdr out there with an old 9th gen rig who could donate it to this chap surely.? If l had spares I would send em. Ohhh! I do!
I got 2x8 gig ddr4 2666mhz dimms.

Cmon must be a way o)
 

varonica

varonica
Of course there are also the game streaming services that require far less power from the device so you can get away with much less hardware cost, not familiar with all the options myself but there might be something there that can be done.
 

JetsonRING

JetsonRING
Meadows65 said:
I had 2 Xbox accounts and have stopped playing since the news consoles will not receive any further development but am completely ignorant as to PC gaming so -
1- what is the app cost of a PC capable of playing EDO to its full potential?
2- would such a PC be able to be connected to TV for use instead of a monitor?
3- would such a PC allow for EDO to be played using an Xbox controller?
I’m only interested in a PC if it’s not hugely expensive and I can continue to play from my armchair you see, thanks for any guidance
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1) Buying a PC from scratch that is "capable of playing EDO to its full potential" would cost 2 or 3 thousand. The latest GPU alone costs upwards of 1500 USD. That being said, I run the game at 1920x1080 on Ultra with decent frame rates using an 8-core Intel i7, 32 GB RAM, a SSD and a GTX1080 GPU. Prices will vary greatly and if you can build it yourself you can save hundreds.
2) Technically, it can probably be done on a TV with adapters but it would look like squirty-doody. Even a 4K monitor is not so expensive anymore.
3) Maybe, possibly, don't know, don't care. I use a Logitech X56 HOTAS.
Sounds like you are saying "I am not interested in PC play unless it is exactly like console play". Well too bad. It isn't. It's better. o7
 
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